GET REEL: Push for Oscar’s popularity is misguided

Bob Tremblay @BobTremblay_MW

Sunday

Sep 2, 2018 at 2:16 PMSep 2, 2018 at 2:16 PM

It's all about popular!It's not about aptitudeIt's the way you're viewedSo it's very shrewd to beVery very popularLike me!

Those lyrics from the song “Popular” from the musical “Wicked” could easily have been warbled by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last month when it decided to create an Academy Award for “outstanding achievement in popular film.”

It remains to be seen how the Academy will judge what film deserves the title of most popular. Perhaps the voters will take the top 10 grossing films of the year and pick the best from that field - in their opinion. Or, to take subjectivity out of the picture, simply decide that the highest grossing film of the year gets the prize.

The decision also raises the question of whether the most popular film can also be the best picture winner. There have been years when the most popular film (ie., the top grossing film) was also the best picture winner. The last movie to turn that trick was “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2003.

Already, voters have to weigh whether the best foreign language film deserves the best picture Oscar, ditto for the best animated film. Foreign language and animated films have been nominated for best picture, but without any triumphs.

As to the why the Academy is doing this, all you have to do is look at the declining ratings of the Oscar broadcasts. This year set the record for the lowest-rated show. Generally speaking, viewers clearly don’t feel like tuning in to watch a broadcast honoring movies they haven’t seen. Not surprisingly, the most watched Oscar ceremony was in 1998, the year “Titanic” won best picture. "Titanic" also happened to be the year’s top grossing film, setting a box office record that has since been surpassed by “Avatar.”

This critic will be shocked, shocked if the Academy’s decision doesn’t yield higher broadcast ratings. The board has also decided to shrink the broadcast’s length to three hours, so folks with short attention spans will also benefit. The date for the inaugural popular award hasn’t been set yet.

Some might wonder if this decision will pit popularity vs. integrity, or at least blur the lines between the two. It should be noted that the Academy has a history of awarding popular yet artistically challenged films its top prize. We submit for your approval, or disapproval, the 1956 winner “Around the World in 80 Days.” I know “Rocky,” the 1976 winner, has its fans, but was it a better movie than its competition: “Network,” “All the President’s Men,” “Taxi Driver” and “Bound for Glory”? I’m willing to wager a few shekels that “Rocky” would have won the most popular film award that year by a knockout. Maybe that honor would have given the others a shot at best picture?

The debate has already begun. On one side are folks who think that adding another category dilutes the merit of the top prize, among other perceived transgressions, while on the other side are folks who think it spreads the wealth - literally as an Oscar can boost a film’s box office.

In case you’re wondering how many popular films have been given Oscar consideration, researching the past 10 years shows that only seven top-10 grossing movies have been nominated for best picture and none has won. They are “The Martian” (No. 8 in 2015), “American Sniper” (No. 1 in 2014), “Gravity” (No. 6 in 2013), “Toy Story 3” (No. 1 in 2010), “Inception” (No. 6 in 2010), “Avatar” (No. 1 in 2009), “Up” (No. 5 in 2009) and “The Blind Side” (No. 8 in 2009). “Toy Story 3” and “Up” also won Oscars for best animated film.

More disturbing if you care about originality is that of the top-10 grossing live-action films each year over the past 10 years, only five come from original screenplays: “Gravity,” “Inception,” “Avatar,” “The Hangover” and “Ted” (with an asterisk on the latter film as the bear is motion captured). All the remaining movies are based on books, comic books, TV shows, an amusement park ride or a toy or are sequels, prequels or remakes. So far this year, the only original screenplay among the top-grossing films is “A Quiet Place.” Thank goodness for animated movies where original thinking still finds a home and an audience. This top-grossing lineup of originals includes "The Secret Life of Pets," "Zootopia," "Inside Out," "Frozen," "Brave," "Despicable Me," "Wall-E," "Kung Fu Panda" and the aforementioned "Up."

So if the Academy does base the most popular film Oscar on money earnings, the odds of it winning the best picture Oscar and being based on an original screenplay aren’t particularly good. Proponents of the new award can use these stats to show that popular films aren’t getting recognized. Others can look at these stats and wonder why popularity and originality seldom star in the same film.